21 Indian Fishermen Belonging To Tamil Nadu Freed From Iran

In recent months, the ‘Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps Navy’ (IRGCN) of Iran has been aggressively patrolling their seas detaining migrant labourers working on vessels leaving from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain because of suspicions of smuggling. This has resulted in frequent arresting of Indian fishermen who inadvertently cross into the Iranian sea space.

Last month, the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Edappadi K Palaniswami had requested the Central Government to secure the release of Tamil Nadu fishermen. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted the fruition of months of diplomatic work that Indian government has been engaged in with the Iranian authorities.

This is not the first time Modi government has intervened with Iran and has secured the release of Indian fishermen. Last year, on October 24, Iranian authorities detained 15 Indian fishermen after they accidentally strayed into Iranian waters. These fishermen, belonging to Tamil Nadu, were detained with their three Bahraini boats on 22 October 2016. Last April, all these 15 fishermen were released.